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Denver author shares writing tips, passion with local kids

By Jenni Grubbs

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
07/24/2013 01:02:52 PM MDT

Author and radio broadcaster Dom Testa speaks to kids and parents at Fort Morgan Public Library at a Summer Reading Program event July 18. Testa talked about writing the first book in his "Galahad" series and what it takes to become an author. (Jenni Grubbs/ Fort Morgan Times)

The most important part of becoming an author is just being willing to sit down and write, Dom Testa told his Fort Morgan audience late last week.

The author of many books, including the "Galahad" series, Testa came to Fort Morgan to speak at a Summer Reading Program event Thursday at Fort Morgan Public Library.

The older age group in the program is reading his "The Comet's Curse," which is the first book in the "Galahad" series. Each kid received a copy of it, and Testa signed them at the end of the event.

But first he spoke of becoming an author and the many other things he does.

Testa also is a radio broadcaster in Denver, hosting Mix 100.3 FM's "Dom and Jane" morning show on weekdays. He also has written other books, writes a regular blog and column, and started a foundation called the Big Brain Club, which has a goal of helping kids and teens realize that it's cool to be smart.

"I do a lot of things," Testa said.

But he emphasized that none of that would have been possible if he had not paid attention in school and gotten an education.

School was where he learned to write and where he discovered that the really enjoyed doing that.

Testa told his audience he still had the composition notebook from when he was in third grade in which he wrote his first story, "My Bording Family."

"That's when I knew that I loved writing stories," he said. "Anyone can do that, too."

He continued to write as a kid, but never showed what he had written to anyone.

"I just wrote for myself," Testa said. "I was a pretty old guy before I sent something in to be published."

He said that was a mistake, and he should have shared his work with the world much sooner.

Author and radio broadcaster Dom Testa signs a copy of "The Comet's Curse" for a participant in Fort Morgan Public Library's Summer Reading Program. The older age group in the program is reading the book, and each kid received a copy of it. (Jenni Grubbs/ Fort Morgan Times)

"If you like to write, have people read what you write," he said, adding that the same went for sharing the other creative things a person can do, such as dancing, singing, drawing and painting.

"Don't put those stories in a drawer," he said. "Show people what you can do."

Testa also showed his audience his first notes for "The Comet's Curse," and how he started by creating biographies of characters. Some of those first characters made it into the book, but some didn't, he said.

"You really get to intimately know the people in your story," he said of creating such biographies.

He also shared his later notes, illustrating how much the characters and early plans for the story changed as his writing progressed.

"So you see, there's a lot of writing that went into writing the book before I even wrote the story," he said.

Testa said it took 14 drafts to come up with the final one, which ended up being about 70,000 words long.

He said that at that point, "I finally felt like it was pretty good."

At first, he independently published his "Galahad" books, but as the series took off in popularity, a publisher called him after book three wanting to publish the entire series, which ended with six books.

In the books, a comet spreads dust over the Earth that causes a disease that kills adults, but not kids. The kids have to learn to live without the adults, and a group of the smartest ones join a mission to fly a spaceship and seek out a new place to live.

He said that his "Galahad" series was named after Sir Galahad, who was "considered the bravest of the knights and who found the Holy Grail."

Testa said the kids in the books, including "The Comet's Curse," are the bravest ones on Earth, "and their Holy Grail is to find a new world, a new home."

This fits in perfectly with Testa's message to kids that being smart is a good thing.

"One of the things that was very important to me when I was writing this book was that the characters had one thing in common: They were all bright, intelligent, high-achieving individuals," he said.

Testa told his audience of mostly kids and teens that they would "always meet people who want you to dumb down," but "the day they walk out of high school, the number of people who will care about if you were cool in high school is zero."

He told them to remember that "smart is the only thing that lasts."

"Don't let anybody talk you into blowing off your education," he said. "I live a cool life today because I paid attention in school."

He encouraged the kids in his audience to sign with his Big Brain Club on domtesta.com.

"Every single one of you has just as many ideas as me," Testa said. "The difference is I write them down."

He said he enjoyed his trip to Fort Morgan.

"I love visiting regional libraries that have supported my book series," he said. "There's always a lot of passion. I'd come back to Fort Morgan any time."

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